Hiding Harry?
by ThisbeHecate
Summary: Voldemort is dead, Harry killed him, so WHY is Harry in hiding? And being in hiding... how could he do any homework? Ninth in the Potions Homework series


A/N: Don't own it, don't have money, don't sue!

* * *

Something was off. There were no students waiting outside his classroom. Snape had just come from his office, walked along the hallway to the potions classroom, and found the hallway empty. That wasn't all he found though. His classroom door was slightly open. He quickly approached the door and swept through, catching the briefest glimpse of Harry Potter surrounded by every Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh year, before he ducked and hid under the table he had been seated at.

The mass of students turned to see who had entered the room, and to Snape's utter shock Malfoy bent down and spoke to the boy that had hidden himself.

"It's alright, Potter." He said calmly to Harry. "It's only Professor Snape."

To Snape's further shock, when Potter emerged and glanced over at him, he had a look of relief upon his face.

"What is going on?" Snape asked the class, no one student particular. "And just how did you get into the classroom? I keep the door locked when I am not in here."

"It was an emergency, Sir." Malfoy said. "Potter can use parseltongue on any Slytherin entrance in Hogwarts."

"An emergency?" Snape sneered, glaring at Harry. "What happen now? Your pillow attack you in your sleep? Or were you all just too excited for class to start and you wanted to get here as quickly as possible?"

Not one person, Slytherin's included, laughed at the joke.

"Merlin." Snape sighed. "Who died now?"

"I almost did!" Harry yelled at him. "I was almost killed! I've been hiding since yesterday!"

Snape looked around at the other students, a look of disbelief on his face, but they all gave him reaffirming nods, telling him that yes, Harry is telling the truth.

"But-" Snape began, stopped, thought, then started again. "But you just killed Voldemort! Surely you're not scared of anyone else! Who was it?"

Harry seemed to grow very scared. Without moving, the boy seemed to shrink a bit into himself. He kept throwing glances around the room, making sure that the room was still empty of the threat.

"It... It was-mmm.." Harry said.

"Who?" Snape asked. "You mumbled, I didn't hear you."

"I said... Mmhm"

"SPEAK UP!"

"I SAID GINNY!"

"Yes?" An icy voice spoke from the open doorway. Harry whipped around, eyes wide open and wild looking.

Ginny was standing in the open doorway. Hands on her hips, glaring at the 'boy-who-lived', who began to shake violently, his face was bone white.

"Gin... Ginny... Hunny... there you are!" Harry stammered. "I was looking for you earlier, but, can't chat now, I have class. Right, Professor?"

Placing a lot of trust in the man, Harry actually turned his back on the fuming witch in the doorway, and shot a pleading look to his teacher. Harry saw something within him soften, then harden as Snape turned back to Ginny.

"That is correct." Snape said. "So, you really _must _excuse us, Miss Weasley. Do you not have a class of your own?"

And with that, Snape closed the door smartly in her face.

"Professor Snape," Harry said, relief evident on his face. "Thank-"

"Quiet." Snape interrupted him. "I don't know what happened, and I do not want to know. Everyone, get out your books, and get your potion ingredients ready."

* * *

"Okay," Halfway through class, Snape called out. "If you will all, take out your homework, I will be around to collect it."

_'GIVE ME A BREAK!' _Snape thought to himself when he saw that Harry didn't have any homework waiting to be collected on his desk.

"Why, Potter?" Snape asked him with a plea in his voice. "Just... _why_?"

"Sir..." Harry looked surprised. "I- I told you! I've been in hiding! As in... HIDING, Sir! I didn't have my school books!"

"WHY?"

"GINNY!"

"Yes, I gathered that much. Start talking, NOW!"

"You said you didn't want to know." He replied. "Sir."

"I changed my mind. Enlighten me." And to Harry's surprise, his professor grabbed an empty stool from a near by table, pulled it over to where Harry was seated, and made himself comfortable to hear the story as to why Harry Potter, the 'Boy-Who-Lived', was afraid of a 4'11" little redheaded girl.

* * *

The seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin potions class could claim something that absolutely no other class would ever be able to say. Their class ended early. But that wasn't all. Their class ended early because their professor, _Professor Snape_, had broken down into hysterical laughter, and could no longer speak. He had dismissed his class amid gales of giggles escaping, after having tried, and failing to suppress them, by simply waving at the students, then the door.

If the students did not understand this new sign language their professor was using, his next action made it quite clear. Still seated on the stool, Snape wrapped his arms around his stomach, while laughing and rocking back and forth, he rocked back a bit too far and simply fell backwards off the stool, onto the floor. That only brought a new wave of laughter over their professor who was soon laughing so hard he had tears escaping.

The students were simply staring at Snape, then staring at Harry. Back and forth they went, like they were watching a tennis match, trying to figure out just what had transpired between the two. Unwilling to stay when they didn't have to, all the students, save Harry, left. Harry sat, sulking at his table, listening to his professor wheezing for air while laughing on the floor.

When Snape finally pulled himself together enough to stand, he did so and looked towards Harry. Snape's face was still beet red, tears were pouring from his eyes, and every now and again his lips and cheeks would twitch in a need to laugh again.

"You know, Potter," Snape began. "I've been told that Ginny is quite like Lily was at that age. Perhaps..." here he paused again, lips twitching. "perhaps I dodged a bullet after all." Then Snape broke out laughing once more.

Using the wall for support, Snape began to make his way from the room, still laughing. At the door, he turned back, and looked at Harry.

"You ate her last chocolate frog! HA!!!"

Harry sat in the classroom for sometime after, Snape's laughter still ringing in his ears.


End file.
